Darsheel Safary: The kid from Taare Zameen Par is now doing a teen comedy

Darsheel Safary is ready to hit the silver screen with his new film Quickie.

He is no longer the child prodigy who broke millions of hearts in Taare Zameen Par. Once upon a time — okay, not so long ago, it was 2007 — Darsheel Safary was the youngest actor to be nominated for Best Actor alongside Shah Rukh Khan in Chak De.

Actor Darsheel Safary.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then. Now Darsheel is poised for his debut as a leading man.

“I am 20 now, no longer the kid from Taare Zameen Par. It’s surprising how people remember that film and my character Ishaan to this day. And I don’t mind. In fact I love it… as long as they don’t pull my cheek,” laughs Darsheel, who is now going to be playing the lead in a film called — believe it or not — Quickie.

Bachcha badaa ho gaya hai!

“I knew you were going to say that. But I was hoping you wouldn’t,” Darsheel mock-sighs. “I did quite a few films as child, including Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children. But it’s Taare Zameen Par that I am known for. Fair enough. But I’ve moved on. I am a grown-up. The transition from child actor to a leading man has been smooth. I did theatre in between.I think I am now a fully passionate student of acting and cinema.”

Quickie just fell into Darsheel’s lap. “It’s one of those things that are bound to happen in life. I didn’t want to make my debut as a leading man in any random love story with six songs , two new girls, and three location changes . I wanted to do something that would reflect my own state of mind and the way people of my age react to love and life.Quickie was just what I wanted.”

Darsheel describes with excitement the moment he walked into the producer’s office. “It was like going into a treasure house. There was a handmade poster of Sholay, visuals of Baahubali and Robot. The place felt like I belonged there. It’s the coolest place to hang out [at] and I don’t mind driving down from my home in town (South Mumbai) to the producer’ office in Andheri. If just hanging out with them is so much fun, I can imagine how much fun making the film would be.”

Quickie, directed by first-timer Pradip Atluri, will be a quickie.

Says Darsheel enthusiastically, “We start in March and finish in 40 days.I am super-excited because the film talks a language that I do, and discusses young people’s preoccupation with dating, breaking up , one-night stands and lack of commitment.”

In the meanwhile, Darsheel is busy catching up on his movie viewing. “I’ve become a passionate movie buff.I watched the entire Hobbit series in one night. Now I am watching the classics.No, Taare Zameen Par is not my list of must-see films.”